Sides of the Coin
by fleurdelislady
Summary: Teddy was an orphan of the war. His parents dying for their cause. In black and white Delphi was the same. Just because they fought on different sides they came to lead opposite lives. Teddy was surrounded by family, loved. Delphi was ignored and feared. Teddy has now been tasked with the removal of her memories. SPOILER to Cursed Child, BEWARE!
1. Chapter 1

He was twenty-three and a novice auror. He followed the dark haired form of the man he had come to see as a father through the winding corridors of Pendramwnwgl Castle, deep in the magical Gwraidd Forest, the forest loaded with centaurs who would detect an escapee in a second. His godfather had asked him here, providing very few details.

The older man kept quiet until he reached what seemed to be a stone wall and then muttered a spell Teddy couldn't quite catch, causing the gray stone to become translucent. The young metamorphmagus reached out his hand and was met by the familiar smooth coolness of laid stone. He opened his mouth to ask what spell that was but then saw the occupant of the room. Her hair was long and dark with silver and blue tips, a dye job grown out, leaving only the natural dark brown to come in its place. She was sleeping and difficult to see, but he was surprised by how much she resembled his gran, Andromeda.

"Why are her hands bound to the bed?" he asked, almost surprising himself with the concern that crept into his voice, this was the child of the Dark Lord, the person responsible for the death of so many people he loved, "Surely she can't do anyone harm with no magic?" Harry had explained to him earlier on his arrival that many of the rooms of what had once been a magnificent castle were equipped with magic suppressing rooms, he assumed this was one of them.

Harry shook his dark head, now laced with the occasional gray strand, a sad look crossing his face, "She can still do herself harm. She's tried to kill herself four times since she was brought here."

Teddy paused and looked in at the sad creature, asleep, tied to the bed. She almost looked peaceful, he thought, but only for a moment. Then he remembered the horrible things she and hers have done and thought she didn't deserve peace. But who was he to decide that. He certainly didn't want that decision on his conscious.

Without looking away from the girls sleeping form, he asked, "So why am I here?"

"It has been decided that total memory removal will be the best course of action in her case." Harry responded, his voice entirely free of emotion.

Teddy swung his gaze at his companion for the first time since their arrival. He searched his face for some hint that he was joking or mistaken but from the hardness of his voice and intensity which he looked at the young woman, Teddy realized it would be foolish to believe that to be the case. The complete removal of memories was a dangerous thing. Hiding them away, deep within the recesses of the mind was one thing, but actually removing them. All of them. That was another thing entirely. It would take time and delicate spell work. He should know, he had spent his first three years out of Hogwarts writing and researching his thesis on the history of memory magic and the practices and consequences of obliviation. He spent more time than he would have liked holed up in the Department of Mysteries.

Harry looked pointedly at the young man he saw as his first son, who promptly threw up his arms and said, "You're mad, sure I've studied obliviation and catalogued a few memories, but you can't expect me to do this! Harry, please!"

"You have the knowledge-and more importantly Teddy, you have the time. This is a grueling process, from what I've read in your paper. Perhaps Hermione or I could do this, yes, but we don't have the technical knowledge or the time that this-this endeavor, requires. It must be done right, and by someone I trust. You will see the memories, too, remember.

"This is happening," he thought with a feeling a deep sense of dismay. He would be trapped in this infernal forest, away from Victoire for, for months all because Harry bloody trusted him. He could feel the tips of his hair begin to turn red with frustration. He tried his best to turn it back to his natural light brown, attempting to maintain an air of composure.

"Say something, Ted, please" Harry nearly whispered.

"It seems I don't have a choice, do I?" Teddy responded, still angry that this was being asked of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Teddy headed home to the flat he shared with his long-time girlfriend, Victoire. He would have to break the news to her that he would be gone for the next four months or more on an assigned to he was not allowed to tell her the details about. He knew she would just love that.

"What do you mean months, Teddy?" she cried, as he flung clothes along with his research materials in a charmed duffel with abandon.

"It's an assignment, Vic," he sighed, "I really haven't much of a choice." He neglected to mention that it was Harry who directly appointed him to this task, knowing if he did she would give her uncle unimaginable hell. When Victoire meant business there was very little that would come in her way. But plain old auror bureaucracy, fancifully dishing out appointments was far less tangible than an uncle who's house she could conveniently pop over.

She flicked her pale blonde mane with a hmmph sound, pouted her lips and asked, "You can at least tell me where you'll be? Can't you?"

He considered for a moment before tossing one last notebook in the bag saying, "Wales" with another sigh, "Land of impossible to pronounce words and Green Dragons." It couldn't hurt to mention where he'd be if it gave her peace of mind. And if the mention of dragons threw her off his trail, all the better. He didn't want the woman he loved to get tangled up in this madness, though he did wish he could unload the ethical dilemma that currently racked his brain onto someone, anyone else.

He felt her long, willowy arms wrap around his torso and pull him in an embrace, his eyes obscured by a curtain of pale hair that shone like winter sunlight.

"I just wish it wasn't for so long," she whispered into his neck.

"I know, I'm sorry," he managed in response, "It's important, though," he whispered back, with more conviction than he felt.

He gathered his back and looked away from the sad, dark blue eyes that watched him. "I'm sure I'll get a few days off, I'll find out when I arrive for certain. And you know I'll write you all the time.

He pulled her into a final embrace and headed over to his gran's place. He had some questions for her.


	3. Chapter 3

Teddy rapped a bit nervously on the door of the house he grew up in. He knew it upset his gran to talk about the past, but he felt he had to. Delphi Rowle, Lestrange, Riddle whatever the hell her name was, was the daughter of gran's sister, Bellatrix Lestrange.

The fact that they were cousins struck him, suddenly. Over the next few months he was about to suck every memory she had from that little skull. It made him nauseous. He considered going back home, to Victoire, and pretending that this was all just a bad dream. That Harry, goddamned Harry, had never shown him the girl, pathetically tied down in her cell.

But then the front door opened and he saw the warm smile of his grandmother, the woman who raised him.

"Oh Teddy, dear, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice, stained with worry. Teddy might be able to change his features but no matter what face he wore, Andromeda Tonks could always read his feelings, without fail.

His smile faltered. He wasn't even in the door and she knew he was upset. "Um, it's nothing gran, just hoped to stop by for a spot of tea, and, maybe, maybe a wee chat, too. If you're not busy-" he added, hastily.

"Why, yes," she started, as if almost sensing the foreboding questions Teddy would soon ask, "come on in dear, I'll set the kettle on."

Teddy found himself in the sitting room he had played in as a boy. He remembers Harry visiting him here, giving him his first broom stick here. Little pictures of him and Harry and Andromeda moved in their frames on many of the walls. A small one of his parents waved out at him from the small antique cupboard in the corner. Another, beside it was of a younger Grandma Andromeda and her husband, his Grandpa Ted.

He jumped a bit, startled as his gran was suddenly there, placing the steaming cup of tea before him. He studied her and even now with her iron gray hair and the wrinkles that lined her eyes he was disturbed to find the resemblance between her and the daughter of the Dark Lord.

She sighed and sat beside him. "Tell me what you want to know, Teddy."

Her frankness caught him off guard. When he was younger and asked about the past she was quite resistant to discussing it. He got bits and pieces of the story and knew she had his mum quite young and fell out with her nutty pureblood family for marrying grandpa. But aside from that he knew quite little about her family. He knew his mum and dad died in the Battle of Hogwarts when he was just a baby, but he had never asked her for details. And she had never provided them.

He didn't know what to say. It just all tumbled out. "Well, it's something with work, gran, and well Harry, too. I can't really say-oh Merlin's beard, if anyone should know." He was frustrated. He knew he shouldn't reveal the details of the assignment.

"Teddy," she, prompted, her old, worn hands grabbing his own, calming him down a good deal, "just ask me your questions. If anyone has a right to know, it's you."

She smiled at him encouragingly but he noticed her eyes looked a good deal wetter than they had when he had arrived.

"What happened between you and your family? I mean-you were a Black, right? Like, um, Bellatrix Lestrange," he asked, right before gulping down a large sip of tea.

"Yes," she almost laughed, darkly, "I was a Black, a member of that family who thought they were royalty just because they were pure," she said the last word with unhidden disgust. "My parents, they believed it was better to be dead, than to be impure. So when I told them I was pregnant and marrying a muggle born at seventeen you could guess how they reacted. My aunt Walburga burned me off the family tree and nearly the whole lot never spoke to me again. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I would do it again, even as hard as times got." She paused to take a sip of tea, though she kept one hand steadily held in that of her grandson.

"There were my two sisters, of course, they made respectable marriages and can still be found on the family tree today I expect" she continued, her hand beginning to tremble slightly in his, "Bellatrix, who you mentioned, the elder, the wild one, and Narcissa, the younger, the beauty. We loved each other fiercely as we grew up together. Despite our differences, as girls we were nigh inseparable. Bellatrix was the protector, the fighter. If anyone ever made Narcissa cry they would find that there was hell to pay from one of Bellatrix's curses. I was the mediator, the only one who could calm her down, even as a child. And Narcissa, we always thought her to be the delicate, the weak one, though it seems she was the only one strong enough to protect her child from Voldemort. But that is beside the point," she said, looking wearily at the photo of his mother on the cupboard, "Anyway, when I left, Bellatrix would claim to her pureblood friends that she and Narcissa had not laid eyes upon me since my face was burned from the Black Family tapestry. But it was a lie. One night a few weeks after I had left, Ted, your grandpa, he was working late, and she stormed into the house. Her hair was wild and tears streamed down her face. She shouted at me, screaming how dare I leave her alone. How I should have fixed things, got rid of the child. She said we could have kept it a secret. That I should never have run away with that mudblood. She yelled and cried and rammed her fists into my back as she sobbed and embraced me. Bellatrix Black loved as fiercely as she had hated. It was when Ted got home that I first understood how true that was. As much as she loved me. She hated him. She hated him for being, as she called him, a mudblood. And I suspect, even more for taking me away. She pulled out her wand and fell away from me, ready to hurt the man I loved. It was only when I turned my own wand upon her that she turned away. That was the last time I saw her."

She walked over to the cupboard and open one of the drawers, she pulled out a dusty old spell book and flipped pages until a photo fell out. She handed it to him.

Three girls sat on an old, very fine looking sofa, one stared, unwaveringly into the camera, with dark hair and fine features, the next, seated in the middle flipped through the pages of the book, ignoring the photo and very much resembling the other dark haired girl. On the far right was a small blonde girl, younger than the two on her right though seemingly in possession of the same, finely carved features he saw beside him in the face of his grandmother. These, of course, were the young sisters Black. On the back "Bella" "Andy" and "Cissy" were inscribed in swooping, fine script.

Seeing his gran and Bellatrix, so young in the photo, he could only think of Delphi, tied to that bed. Resembling her mother so clearly.

Andromeda picked back up, "Bellatrix and Narcissa did ignore me for what remained of her life, at least. I watched from afar as she unraveled. Rodolphus, her husband, it seemed couldn't have children. She couldn't find something new to love until she found _him_. Voldemort. She had found someone to love as fiercely as she had me and someone to hate the people she had learned from birth to be lesser than her, even more. Lesser than human. I heard about how she killed and tortured for years and I never felt like more of a coward. I could have confronted her. I should have tried. But I was scared, I wanted to pretend I wasn't ever like her. That I wasn't a Black. And I paid the price for that. For my cowardice."

She paused and looked Teddy directly in the eye, he felt his heart pounding in his chest, "It was Bellatrix Lestrange who killed your mother at the Battle of Hogwarts."

Teddy thought he felt his heart stop. He knew his mother was killed but he had never learned by whom. Was fate laughing at him. Giving him some kind of crazy karmic justice for his mother by having him obliviate Delphi Rowle. Should he tell his grandma, he wondered. But he glanced at her sadly eying the photo of a young Bellatrix and herself in his lap and decided he could not tell her right now. He had stirred up old feelings enough for one day, he thought.

He bid her goodbye, and thanked her profusely for telling him what he wanted to know. He told her he would be away in Wales for a while for work and that he would owl her once he was settled in.


	4. Chapter 4

Getting back to the castle in the middle of the bloody forest in Wales was just the next headache for Teddy to deal with. It was, being a several hundred year old castle, unplottable and apparition was impossible, much like Hogwarts. It seems these 10th century castle builders were very anti apparition.

He could, at least, floo to the closest town. Though describing it as a town was a bit of an overstatement. Village was a better designation. Wybren village was quiet and populated with wizards and muggle alike. He flooed to the cottage of retired auror Gawain Robards and his granddaughter, Braith. They had previously agreed that his cottage would serve as the floo point, for two reasons. One, he could be trusted with the sensitive nature of the castle's new occupant. Second, the forest was difficult to traverse, the Robards family had served as the castle guardians for centuries and knew the best ways to get there in the ever changing Gwraidd Forest.

Teddy stumbled into the cottages small sitting room, a bit out of sorts from the long distance floo. He looked up and saw the startled face of a teenage girl, legs curled up on the sofa reading a book on transfiguration.

He smiled, "You're Braith, right?" He asked, the girl hadn't moved from the chair to introduce herself. "Gawain's granddaughter, yeah?"

She nodded, and raised an eyebrow at him, as if to ask what he was doing there. Ah yes, he thought, Harry had made a magical password of sorts, to ensure no impostor could find Delphi.

He straightened his shirt and looked directly at her, "Saw a green dragon flying over Wybren,"

At that she stood and smiled brightly back at him, saying the agreed upon answer, "I heard it had a twelve forked tail." She extended her hand, "Sorry about that, Grandpa says I'm not to speak to anyone who comes calling unless they give the password. Not that the old man will give me even a hint of what you guys are up to out in the castle. But, yes, I'm Braith."

He took her hand, secretly impressed by her maturity, she looked around James' age, but he had trouble imagining the boy keeping so strictly to the rules when there was a secret involved, like this one.

"It's nice to meet you," he said, "I'm Teddy Lupin,"

"Oh yes," she said, "I remember when you were Head Boy at Hogwarts. I was a second year. It's nice to see you again."

He smiled, a bit embarrassed, "I was hoping to go to the castle," he continued, "Is your grandfather here?"

She shook her head. "No. He took Mr. Potter to the castle this morning. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

Teddy didn't exactly mind the delay, he wasn't exactly in a great rush to deal with his task. He still wasn't even sure if he could or should do this.

Misunderstanding his inner turmoil over the obliviation of Delphi as disappointment over not having a guide, she said "But I can take you,"

He was slightly worried about this young girl going into, from what he had read as practically the forest of death. His face must have shown it.

Used to such reactions, Braith pulled up the arm of her cardigan to reveal a blue gray mark upon her forearm, from a distance to someone who didn't know to look for it, it seemed to be just a bruise or birthmark, but Teddy, having seen the same mark upon Robard's ankle knew it to be depiction of the Pendramwnwgl Castle turned upside down.

"Everyone in our family is born with it," she explained, "it gives us some protection to the spells on the forest so that we can always find our way there."

"And," he started, a bit skeptically, "you-you don't mind going in there. The forest, I mean,"

She laughed, "I've played there since I'm a kid, the centaurs don't particularly like it, but they can't hurt me. I have the protection of the castle, apparently. Some kind of old blood magic. I've never been inside, though."

"How come?" he asked, though he immediately regretting it. He remembered what Harry had told him about Robards' son, the man who was probably Braith's father.

"My grandfather won't allow me," she said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"I'm an idiot. I'm sorry," he said, seriously.

"That's alright," she said, though still seeming a bit less cheery, "I'll bring you on to the castle now, let's go."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Hey all, thanks for checking out my story! Hope you're liking it so far. Special thanks to FanHPTW for giving me my first review and to carryongaran for the follow and fave. To all you silent readers, I see you! Hit me with a review. Or not. Whatever you like. Buttt, I do like reviews! Once again thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

Walking a short way from the cottage they found themselves at the edge of the, in Teddy's opinion, very foreboding forest.

He did however, now have full faith in his guide. She did not look one bit perturbed by the magical forest most British history books ranked as one of the most dangerous.

Not two minutes after entering Teddy found his path blocked by the imposing figure of a massive and rather muscular roan centaur. If Hogwarts centaurs were unfriendly the Gwraidd ones were down right cranky, Teddy thought to himself, stopping himself from going for his wand at his side.

Braith was unafraid, looking squarely up at the giant horse-man who was several heads taller than her and said, "Hi, Syth, it's good to see you, how's the forest?"

Teddy nearly felt his jaw drop. The centaur, Syth, as it seemed, was none too pleased about the familiarity of her tone.

"What's your business here, child of the castle?" he asked, his voice gruff, digging his powerful hooves into the earth in what seemed to be frustration.

She said something in Welsh that Teddy couldn't understand. The centaur nodded, though still looking annoyed, said something back to her and galloped off seamlessly into the forest. Teddy elected not to ask what the conversation entailed, feeling as though her transition into Welsh had been an intentional move towards privacy.

They walked on, deeper and darker into the forest. He kept an eye out for the terrors the history book he read on it had outlined. Devious magical plants and centuries old mist spells were top among the espoused dangers. But so far, he had seen nothing of the sort.

Braith, it seemed, was cheered somewhat by the forest, she was smiling as she lead him along, what seemed to Teddy, a very random path, but what must of been very clear to her because she had not once looked uncertain despite the darkening of the forest as they moved deeper and deeper within.

He found her round, blue eyes studying his features as they moved along, "You had blue hair, back in school, didn't you?" she asked, suddenly.

He laughed, "I did," he said, and willed his hair to the exact shade of turquoise he had been quite fond of a few years ago.

She gasped, "I had heard you could do that! I never believed it was true. I thought it was just a rumor! How do you do it?" she asked, her face beaming excitedly.

He was happy to see her face lit up for the first time since he had regrettably mentioned her going into the castle, smiling back, he replied, "I'm a metamorphmagus. I can change my features to whatever I think of."

"So is this even your real face?" she asked playfully pretending to inspect his features.

Laughing he replied, "Yes, it takes a bit of concentration to keep the change for any length of time. So these days it just fades back to regular." And it was true without clarity of mind and concentration the turquoise tips of his hair were already now back to a faded light brown. Merlin knows he's got enough on his mind.

"That's amazing, though," she gushed, "you could be anyone in the world. You wouldn't even need a polyjuice potion."

"I suppose so," he said, just as the view of a towering, dark, stone castle came into view.

"Here we are, home sweet home," she drawled, looking at the massive figure with something almost like longing.

"Thank you, Braith," he said, with all the sincerity in the world, still feeling bad about mentioning a sore spot back at the cottage, "You sure that you can make it back?" He felt the need to add, despite realizing that she seemed quite competent in her ability to move about the forest, "I could send out your grandfather, I'm sure he wouldn't mind…"

"You're welcome, Teddy, and don't worry. I know this forest like the back of my hand. I'll make it back just fine."

"If you're sure," he said, still looking a bit worried.

"You worry too much," she replied, before disappearing into the confusing trees of Gwraidd. He heard her voice echo, "I'll see you around, Lupin," from farther away than possible in the few seconds since she'd walked away.

"This is a strange forest," he said aloud before banging the large dragon shaped knocker that was attached to the immense wood door before him.

When he came with Harry the walk seemed much faster, he thought idly as he waited for someone to let him in, still uneasy about the forest around him and the castle before him.

The large wooden doors creaked open and Teddy was greeted by Susan Bones, who worked as Harry's secretary. She smiled at him and told him to come in, that Harry was waiting for him inside. He followed her, nearly stopping to avoid the whip of her long auburn braid as she turned on her heel and when up the spiral staircase.

All business she turned down another winding corridor. "I'll show you to your quarters after your meeting with Mr. Potter" she said, motioning for the duffel in his hand. "I'll put this away," she offered, by way of explanation.

"Ah. Okay" was all he could respond, as she was then opening the door to a small room and thrusting him inside.

He saw Harry seated in a comfortable looking chair, his glasses down the bridge of his nose, and a book askew on his lap.

Teddy was just about to clear his throw in an effort to announce his arrival when he heard Harry's familiar voice say, "Come closer, Ted."

Teddy, normally happy and at ease around his godfather, instead felt muddled about his feelings towards the situation and the role the man played in it. But drew closer, knowing nothing else to do.

Harry chuckled, "I haven't seen your hair that color in years," at first confused, Teddy realized bits of his hair must still have been turquoise. He took a deep breath and tried his best to clear his mind, letting it quickly change back to natural brown.

"Sit down" he said, and the younger man obliged.

"I know," Harry started, but stopped, running a hand through his black and gray hair, "I know this is a difficult, no, a terrible thing I'm asking of you."

"It is." Teddy replied, trying to hide the thousand at once conflicting emotions he felt.

"I believe it to be the best option though. You have to understand, many others on the Wizengamot wanted her to be killed or," he paused, "given the dementor's Kiss."

His temper flaring rather uncharacteristically, Teddy raised his voice, "And how is this different than the Kiss?"

"You know how Teddy-" Harry started to reply, only to be interrupted.

"I don't know how, Harry!" he stood up and was shouting now, "How is this the right thing."

"Then trust me." Harry said calmly, as if the outburst had not happens.

Teddy collapsed back down into the chair. Trust me, he thought doubtfully, but then took another deep breath and said "Alright,"

Harry gave him a small, encouraging smile and then motioned towards the pensieve that sat beside him on the end table. This one was stone, as most others he had seen were, but unlike the Hogwarts and Ministry varieties this one's rim was covered in Welsh words and runes he didn't recognize. It made his stomach turn. He was quite familiar with the runes on the Minstry's basin and was wary of trusting one with inscriptions he did not understand. "You will remove the memories and place them in here" he said, as though he were taking his glasses off and putting them on his night stand not siphoning every memory out of a young woman's head and leaving her empty at the end. He still didn't feel sure. But he did trust Harry, and for the moment, he decided, that would have to be enough. "I'll leave the order and technique you use to remove them up to you."

"Yes, Harry" was all Teddy could manage in response.

"The castle shall have several aurors in and around the grounds at all times," he said, as if to reassure him of his safety. "And I'd like a weekly progress report, you can send it with Susan when she is on duty. As for personal letters, Gawain has agreed to owl them for you from his cottage. We do not want to arouse anyone's interest in this place as the location of blackbird."

Teddy raised an eyebrow at the term, "Ah, due to the sensitive nature of the situation we thought it best to maintain as much anonymity in the case of some stolen or intercepted documents. In all reports she is to be referred to as blackbird, do you understand?"

He shook his head, "Yes, I understand,"

Harry stood up, "Thank you, Teddy," said and pulled his godson into a hug. It was only then that Teddy realized how much this must be weighing on Harry as well. "I understand," he repeated and went out to meet Susan and find his room, wishing only for sleep, denying, even her attempts to coax him into a meal first.

Susan returned to Harry's side in the small room with the pensieve. Seeing the distress her long time friend and boss was feeling upset her, though not visibly. Not knowing what else to do, she placed a hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "Everything will be all right, Harry," she said, so quietly, had he not been used to her, me may not have heard.

* * *

 **AN: Moving slowly towards Teddy and Delphi interaction. Bare with me please. Hope you like this chapter. Also, thanks to Anastasia The Goddess of Drama for the lovely review**


	6. Chapter 6

Though he tossed and turned much of the night, Teddy Lupin rose early the following morning. A house elf had to show him the way to kitchen after he already found himself lost amidst the sprawling corridors of the castle.

He was surprised to find Susan Bones alone at the table and outside of her usual business attire. It was slightly unsettling for the young man who knew her only around the office.

"Good morning," she said, her face serious as usual. Susan Bones did not take lightly the trust she had developed working alongside Harry Potter, and this was a very serious situation indeed.

Teddy offered the same morning salutation in return, but he was distracted, thinking about where to even start with the task Harry had asked of him. He thought he should talk to her today.

As if reading his mind, the red haired woman said, "I will show you the incantation to open blackbird's room after you eat."

Soon enough they were standing back where he had been yesterday. Thought this time he had made a mental note of it's location in relation to the direction he believed his room to be in. Susan pulled out her wand and demonstrated the movement required to open the door. "Yes, yes, just like that" she said, "The incantation is 'agor'" she continued.

 _Great_ Teddy thought to himself, _more Welsh_.

"And Teddy, the house elves are very friendly, if you find yourself lost," Susan offered as they looked in at the young woman. "Ah yeah," he replied, "I've already found myself at their mercy this morning,"

"You will adjust quickly here," she said simply and left him with a swish of her long red braid.

Teddy took a deep breath, "Agor" he half whispered as he flicked his wand in a figure eight. Suddenly the gray stones transformed before his eyes into wood grain before fading to an earthy dark brown to form a door that looked as though it had always been grasped the handle and went in.


End file.
